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(THP2/23) Global Alfvén Eigenmodes Stability in Thermonuclear Tokamak Plasmas

   
A. Jaun ¹, A. Fasoli ²³, J. Vaclavik ⁴, L. Villard ^4
 
1 Alfvén Laboratory, EURATOM-NFR Association, KTH, Stockholm, Sweden
² Plasma Science and Fusion Center, MIT, Cambridge MA, USA
³ JET Joint Undertaking, Abingdon, Oxfordshire OX14 3EA, United Kingdom
⁴ CRPP, Association EURATOM-Confédération Suisse, EPFL, Switzerland

Abstract
Relying on the good agreement observed between the gyrokinetic PENN model  and the low n damping measurements from JET , the stability of Alfvén eigenmodes (AE) is here predicted for reactor relevant conditions. Full non-local wave-particle power transfers are computed for the $\alpha$-particles in an ITER  reference equilibrium, showing that low $n \simeq 2$ modes are strongly damped and intermediate $n \simeq 12$ with a global radial extension are stable with a damping rate $\gamma/\omega \simeq 0.02$. Even though an excitation of $\alpha$-particle driven instabilities remains in principle possible, this study suggests that realistic operation scenarii exist where all the AEs of global character are stable.

 

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